Ireland Shed a Tear?

Posted on 03. Nov, 2016, in Community, Death, Discrimination, Family, UncategorizedComments Off on Ireland Shed a Tear?

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Ireland Shed a Tear is a play by Michael Collins looking at the fallout of the tragedy of Carrickmines. He said that initially the outpouring of grief and support suggested that there would be a real public examination of how travellers are treated in society. But he now observes that things quickly went back to the way they were.

Ireland Shed a Tear? was staged during the Dublin Theatre Festival, almost a year to the day since the tragedy. But in that year, says Collins, things have returned to a familiar pattern. And that while this was one of the biggest tragedies where so many people lost their lives in a fire, a year later “people are still not accommodated properly”. How even at the funeral in Wexford there was suspicion and distrust.

Collins talks about how the experience left him feeling “alienated” in his own country. Miriam began by asking him about the response to the play.